HR&A congratulates the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC) on construction activities at Piers 1 and 6 in Brooklyn, with Pier 1 scheduled to open late this year. When fully completed, Brooklyn Bridge Park will be 1.5 miles long, running along the East River waterfront from just north of the Manhattan Bridge to Atlantic Avenue. The park will turn currently underutilized waterfront areas into innovative new open spaces, serving adjacent neighborhoods and the City as a whole with new active recreation opportunities and a range of ways to connect to the water. HR&A led the creation of the initial master plan and funding strategy for the park, and was involved in implementing the plan through creation of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation.
After leading the initial master plan and funding strategy for the park, HR&A procured and managed the BBPDC's team of consultants and led a complex, multi-year stakeholder outreach process. The diverse roster of outreach targets included local, City, and State officials and diverse interest groups. As manager of the predevelopment process on behalf of the BBPDC, HR&A created a financial plan that utilized future on-site residential and commercial development to sustain the park’s operating costs; led negotiations with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to transfer 70 acres of land to the BBPDC; and worked with the City and State to create a memorandum of understanding to provide capital funding.
Planned development for the park includes residential, retail, hotel and parking. Twelve acres of the park are already open to the public.
